Name: Mozzarella Meat Loaf
Ingredients: 1 large onion, coarsely chopped; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 sweet red pepper, chopped; 1 cl garlic, finely chopped; 1 tsp leaf basil, crumbled; 1/2 tsp lef thyme, crumbled; 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef; 1/2 lbs ground pork; 1 cup old-fashioned oats, uncooked; 2 egg whites; 4 oz part-skim mozarella cheese; -cut in ¼-inch cubes; 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese; 2 tbsp parsley, chopped; 3/4 tsp salt, optional; 1/8 tsp pepper; 1/4 cup catsup

Why it works: Basil and thyme match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,768 recipes. Both carry terpineol, which smells pine, woody. The science ↓

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Basil + thymetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,768 recipes

Shared aroma: terpineol (pine, woody).
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Beef + porktop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,690 recipes

Shared aroma: 12-methyltridecanal (tallowy, beefy).
Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,665 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Olive + basiltop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,063 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Ground beef: Provides the main meaty body and savory flavor of the loaf.
Ground pork: Adds fat and tenderness, keeping the loaf from drying out.
Egg whites: Bind the meat and set during baking to hold the loaf together.
Old-fashioned oats: Absorb juices and help keep the loaf moist and tender.
Mozzarella cheese: Melts into pockets of creamy richness throughout the loaf.
Parmesan cheese: Adds salty, savory depth and helps the loaf brown.

The step that matters

Bake until cooked through. Ground meat can look done on the outside while the center is still undercooked. Baking until the loaf is fully cooked through, rather than by time alone, makes sure it is safe to eat and keeps it from being dry.

Swap the basil

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (onion, olive, pepper, garlic, thyme, beef, pork):

Rosemaryfits better
Marjoramfits better
Parsleyfits about as well
Basilthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against onion, olive, pepper, garlic, thyme, beef, pork. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Beef	100g cooked	250
Pork	100g cooked	242
Oat	1/2 cup dry (40g)	154
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Parmesan Cheese	1 oz (28g)	110
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Thyme	1 tsp dried (1.4g)	4
Basil	5 leaves fresh (2.5g)	1
Parsley	1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Leaf	not in our table	0

Mozzarella Meat Loaf